- ANDREW SMITH/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
The daughter (foreground) of one of the victims of a triple murder committed in Sandy Bay, Clarendon, yesterday morning, is comforted by a friend.
Stephanie Elliot and Petrina Francis, Staff Reporters
THREE MEMBERS of one family were gunned down near Highway 2000 in Clarendon early yesterday morning.
Residents found the bodies of the three men in bushes at about 5:00 a.m.
The police have linked the death of the three, Roy Thompson 50, his son Randy Thompson 19, and nephew Kevin Howard 21 - all of a Sandy Bay address to an illegal gun trade between Haiti and Jamaica.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) George Williams, who is in charge of criminal investigations, told The Sunday Gleaner yesterday that the three men had been under investigation by the police for some time.
ILLEGAL GUN TRADE
"Intelligence has pointed to the fact that one of the deceased may have been involved in (an) illegal gun trade between Jamaica and Haiti and was in some problems with gangs from the Corporate Area and Spanish Town over guns ...," ACP Williams said.
He was unable to give specifics about the illegal trade between the two countries, but has urged persons who have information relating to the death of the men to contact the police.
Cheslan Simpson, a 61-year-old contractor, was also shot and killed in a separate incident in the parish on Friday night.
Corporal Michael Francis, who is attached to the Constabulary Communication Network, told The Sunday Gleaner that four armed men went to a bar on Evans Avenue in May Pen and robbed patrons of cash and other items.
FIRED SHOTS
Cpl. Francis related that the men fired shots while leaving the building and Mr. Simpson, who was driving by in his motor vehicle, was hit by one of the bullets. He lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a wall. He was later pronounced dead at hospital.
Mr. Simpson is the second businessman murdered in the parish in less than two weeks.
GAS STATION PROPRIETOR SHOT DEAD
Last Friday, 61-year-old gas station proprietor, Frederick Maragh, was shot and killed at his business place in Hayes, Clarendon. One of Mr. Maragh's sons was also shot during the incident.
These deaths have brought to 86, the number of persons who have been murdered in the parish since the start of the year.
In the meantime, businessman Sami Ramchadain of St. James was shot and killed by gunmen at his business place in the parish.
The Constabulary Communica-tion Network reported that about 4:00 p.m. on Friday, armed men entered Mr. Ramchadain's establishment and robbed him of jewellery, appliances and an undetermined sum of money. The men then shot Mr. Ramchadain who was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
The total number of murders in the country for this year is in excess of 1,400.
